


Dark Clouds and Silver Linings

by zorac



Series: Love in the Time of Corona [2]
Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:01:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25596193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zorac/pseuds/zorac
Summary: Rachel likes to flirt with all of her housemates, whether she's dating them or not. Kate is no exception.Stand-alone prequel toUnder the Weather.
Relationships: Rachel Amber/Kate Marsh
Series: Love in the Time of Corona [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1805530
Comments: 17
Kudos: 8





	1. Endings

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry it's been a while (and that this is a short update after a long break,) but I've not been having much luck getting in the mood to write over the last few weeks. I posting this in the hope of guilting myself into writing the rest of it in a slightly more timely fashion ;-) This is just a little something based off a throw-away line from the last chapter of _Under the Weather_ , and takes place a few years before that.

###### Kate

I met April not long into my sophomore year at college, when I was still a baby gay. My freshman year had been a time of self-discovery; freed from parental scrutiny, I’d finally allowed myself to acknowledge that I was attracted to women – and not to men. It helped that I’d found a church which was accepting of all sexualities and gender identities, rather than one like my Parents’, which would have shipped me off for reeducation. I made a point of joining the LGBTQIA+ community on campus, and that’s where I made most of my new friends.

In hindsight, it wasn’t not actually that different from my high school senior years; it turned out that at most one of the girls on my corridor was straight – and I haven’t seen Stella since we graduated, so I can’t even say _that_ for sure. Anyway, by the end of the year, I’d been on a few dates, and even kissed a couple of girls; over the summer, in the midst of our house renovation montage, I made the decision that come fall, I’d start looking for a serious girlfriend.

I met April at a mixer for queer women, and we hit it off straight away. She was a freshman, but she’d been out for years, and had had a girlfriend in high school, so that more than balanced out the age difference. We went on our first proper date a few days later, and several more followed. She was fine with taking things slowly, and I discovered that I didn’t need to move at a completely glacial pace; I lost my virginity the night before heading home for Thanksgiving break.

That was an awkward holiday.

Anyway, after that, we had six wonderful, happy months together – or at least _I_ thought so – before it went straight to hell.

I’d had to beg off spending the evening with April because I was supposed to be working on a group project with some of my classmates, but when _they_ cancelled on me, I didn’t even hesitate before heading in the direction of April’s place. I arrived just ahead of one of her housemates. She recognized me at once, and was more than happy to let me in so that I could surprise my girlfriend.

It turned out that the surprise was on me.

I opened the door to find April naked on her bed. I would have been an appealing picture, if it wasn’t for the – admittedly gorgeous – woman whose thighs she had her face between. For a long moment, I just stood there, dumbstruck, and then the dark-skinned woman let out a short shriek.

April startled, then turned towards me. Her eyes widened, and her face visibly blanched. “Kate? What are you doing here? I thought you had…”

“What am _I_ doing here?” I cut her off, incredulous. “What are _you_ doing?” My eyes flicked to the other woman. “Or should I say _who_ are you doing?” My mouth seemed to be running well ahead of my thoughts; I was still in shock.

“April?” the other woman began, uncertainly; when she was completely ignored, she pursed her lips and started looking for her clothes.

“It’s not what it looks like,” April told me, and I could have laughed at the cliché.

“Oh, so you _weren’t_ conducting a gynecological examination – _with your tongue?_ ” She actually flinched at that.

“Kate… you need to calm down.” I took a deep breath. She wasn’t _completely_ wrong about that.

“I just walked in on my girlfriend in bed with another woman,” I said, shortly. “I’m not quite sure why you expect me to be calm.”

“I still love _you_ ,” April said earnestly. “She means nothing to me.” The woman in question gave out a strangled sob, then pushed past me out of the room.

“Neither do I, apparently.”

“That’s not true,” she said, defensively.

“Well, cheating on me is a pretty strange way to show it.”

“Can we just talk about this?”

I sighed. “There’s nothing to talk about. We’re over.”

“That’s it? You’ll just throw away everything we have?”

“What is it that we have, April? We’ve only been dating for a few months, we’re not living together… I’m not saying I won’t miss you, but I could never trust you again.”

She sank down, resignation showing in her posture. “You’re right. I’m sorry; I fucked everything up.”

“Yeah.” As apologies went, it wasn’t much. After a moment’s thought, remembering all the times I’d unquestioningly accepted that April had ‘already made plans,’ I asked, “was she even the first?”

The flash of guilt across her face was all the answer I needed.

“Goodbye, April.” Realizing that I was still – and for the last time – staring at her body, I forced myself to walk out the door, closing it softly behind me. I hurried downstairs, and out on the street, before walking blindly down the sidewalk, tears finally blurring my vision. There was a tiny park a couple of blocks away, and I sat down heavily on the single bench in it, heedless of the fact that there was already someone sat at the other end.

I wasn’t sure how long I’d been sitting there with my head in my hands, sobbing, before she asked, “hey, are you okay?” I turned to look at her, only to see a tear-streaked face that mirrored my own. It took a moment for recognition to strike, and it clearly hit her at the same moment, because she froze. “I am so, _so_ sorry,” she said; then, after a moment, “I should go.”

“Wait.” I reached out, catching her hand as started to rise. “You really had no idea, did you?” Jerkily, she shook her head. “Then you’ve done nothing wrong. You’re as a much a victim of April as I am.”

She stared at me for a moment, clearly thrown by my response. “Hardly,” she said at last, “I’d been dating April for a couple of weeks; you’d clearly been with her for a lot longer.”

“Half a year; and apparently she was cheating on me for rather more than two weeks.”

“That’s a whole different level of betrayal that I can’t even begin to imagine.” She sat back down, closer than before. “It makes me just want to give you a hug, but that’s probably the last…”

“A hug sounds good, actually. I think we could both use it.” My pain may have been worse, but that didn’t invalidate hers. We both shuffled sideways, and the other woman tentatively put her arm around my back. I lay my head on her shoulder, and a moment later I felt her head rest on mine. For long minutes, we just stayed like that until, eventually, I felt ready to move again. “I should probably head home,” I said.

“Yeah.” The other woman shifted, and a moment later we were sitting upright again; she turned her head to look at me. “You got someone there to support you?”

“I’m sharing a house with a group of friends from high school; they’re all pretty protective of me.” _Over_ -protective, in some cases. I decided that it was probably a good thing that neither Chloe nor Victoria knew where April lived. “How about you?”

“I still live with my Mom. She’s always been incredibly supportive; I’m sure this won’t be any different.” That stung a little. I used to be pretty sure that the day I came out to my mother would be the last time I ever talked to her; now that I have, she hasn’t shown any sign of proving me wrong.

We both got up, and I took a last look at the woman who by all rights I should probably hate. I didn’t, of course, but I’m not sure that I would have, even if I were that kind of person. Instead, I had a sudden, irrational desire to take her into my arms and kiss her. Pushing that aside, too, I explained that I needed to head back towards April’s place to retrieve my bike. She insisted on walking with me while she waited for an Uber, just in case our ex showed her face.

Her car arrived just as I was pulling my helmet on. “This is me,” she said, “so, um, thanks for not taking it out on me.”

“That’s not my style,” I told her, “but thanks for being a friendly ear. And… I hope the future treats you a little better than tonight.”

“You too,” she said, with the barest hint of a smile. There was a moment of awkward silence, then she got in the car. It drove away, and soon I was pedaling in the opposite direction.

A few minutes later, just to complete my day, it began to rain.


	2. The Twist

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Re: Chapter 1 notes: well, that didn't work. I'm still struggling to get in the writing zone at the moment. I do have half of the final chapter written, though, so maybe I'll have that up in less than four weeks…

###### Rachel

It was a dark and stormy night, with heavy rain that seemingly came out of nowhere. It was no great surprise, then, that when Kate came through the front door, she was drenched down to the bone. Her blouse, soaked to translucency, clung to her body in ways which left very little to the imagination. I was passing though the front hall at exactly the right moment and, as usual, I couldn’t help myself.

“Why, hello, Kate,” I said, as seductively as I could manage. “You look ravishing tonight.”

She was well used to my flirtations by that point, and her responses were usually some mixture of amusement, affection, and exasperation. That night, though, her voice was flat, and dull.

“I look like a drowned rat.”

I froze for a moment, and studied her more closely; the red eyes, the slumped posture, and the raindrops on her face which might easily conceal tears.

“I’ll get you a towel,” I said lamely, stalling while I collected my thoughts. I hurried into the small bathroom to retrieve one, then returned to drape it over Kate’s shoulders. She pulled it tightly about herself, contracting inwards. When I tentatively put my arms around her, she sunk into my embrace to an alarming degree.

A moment later, I felt the first sob wrack her body.

Going with my first instinct, I simply held her, saying nothing, until her tears finally subsided a few minutes later. Then, cautiously, I asked what was wrong; only to find that Kate had found out that her girlfriend was cheating on her – in the worst possible way.

“Kate, that’s… that’s _awful_.” I was aghast that anyone could do that to Kate, of all people. “I am _so_ sorry that she did that you you. If there’s anything I can do for you, anything at all, just say the word.”

“Thanks, Rachel,” she said, but I could tell her heart wasn’t in it. “If you could keep Chloe from doing any stupid revenge stunts… however I feel about April right now, I don’t want someone to actually hurt her.” Yeah, I can see my girlfriend wanting to hunt that bitch down and pop her one.

“Of course. I’ll ask Taylor to keep an eye on Vic as well.” Her overprotective streak made her the other one likely to do something stupid. “I’m sure we can make sure the don’t do anything worse than key her car.”

“I’d rather they didn’t. I just want to put this behind me, not create more drama.” She hesitated for a moment, before giving me the barest hint of a smile. “Besides, I have some very fond memories of that car.” I blinked; was she implying…? Kate’s face clouded over again, and I put that question aside for another time.

“I’ll make sure they know that. Look, why don’t you head upstairs, change into something dry, maybe have a nice, hot shower? I can get Max to fix you a pot of tea and bring it up.” I knew that I wasn’t the best person to be with Kate right then; her best friend was.

“That… actually sounds really good. Thanks.”

I remembered all the long talks I’d had with Kate since she moved to Portland, how she’d listened without judgment as I poured out my jealousy and insecurities, and given me nothing but sympathy, advice and guidance. I knew that she’d done the same for Chloe and Max, and that how comfortable the three of us were with our unconventional relationship was at least in part due to Kate.

“De nada. You’ve looked after us – all of us – these last couple years. Let us return the favor.”

Kate looked like she was about to protest for a moment, then gave me a small nod. “Okay. And… um… could you make sure everyone else knows, and… for them not to make a big deal about it. So I don’t have to think about her if I don’t want to.”

“Sure thing.”

“Okay. I’m gonna,” she gestured towards the stairs.

“Yeah.”

I watched Kate shuffle away, and realized that Chloe wasn’t going to be the first person I’d need to restrain from hurting April.

That would be me.

* * *

The most unexpected bit of fallout from Kate’s breakup happened on a Friday night, a few weeks later. We’d all had a big family dinner, except for Juliet, who was working late; plenty of good food, and a few bottles of wine. Kate and I were on clean-up detail, while the others coupled off and headed upstairs. It was Max’s night with Chloe; Brooke and Dana had some video game grudge match.

“Do you mind if I ask how you’re doing with the whole April thing?” I asked, as I filled up the sink, and Kate grabbed a dish towel. We hadn’t really talked about it much since that first night, but I knew her well enough to see that she was putting on a brave face. While Kate might always be the first to swoop in whenever any of us needed someone to talk to, she was always much more reluctant to accept our help in return.

“Better,” she said. “Max was great about listening to me rant about… her. That was what I needed at first, to get the anger out of my system. I felt so _betrayed_ , and… sometimes I was almost as upset about the things she made feel, as what she did to me. I came very close to hating her, and I don’t want to feel that way. Once I was ready to really talk about things, it was actually Chloe who was able to help me, because…” She trailed off and looked at me awkwardly. It took me a few moments to understand why.

“Because of how I treated her,” I whispered. Hot shame flooded me as I remembered those years of keeping Chloe at arm’s length, heedless of her feelings while I denied mine. Of course none of the affairs I had were technically cheating on her, but I know damn well that they hurt her all the same.

Kate reached out to rest her hand on my arm. “You know Chloe’s moved past that, right?” I nodded; we’d had a number of talks about it back in the early days of our three-way relationship. “I think I might be getting there, too. Enough that when I run into April, I can simply ignore her.”

“Sometimes that’s as much as you can ask for,” I told her. “So… you think you’ll be ready to put yourself back out there soon?”

Kate blushed. “That’s not something I’m going to be hurrying into, but maybe after the summer break. It’s just… there’s one thing I haven’t been able to get past yet.”

“What’s that?”

Kate shot me an appraising look. “Why don’t we finish up here, then take the last bottle of wine and find a comfy place where we can talk?”

“Okay,” I said, a little intrigued.

A few minutes later, we made our way through the darkened front hall into the lounge. Kate settled in on one end of a couch, while I poured a couple of glasses of wine. I gave one to her then, unable to help myself, brushed an errant hair off her face before sitting down next to her, perhaps a little closer than strictly necessary.

Kate gave me a small smile, before asking, “how serious are you about that?”

“About what?” I said, confused. “The flirting?”

“Yes.”

“Sorry, am I making you uncomfortable?” That was the last thing I wanted.

“No, I’m just… curious.”

I was taken aback. I’m a natural flirt, I do it with pretty much everyone that I don’t actively dislike. No-one had asked me that before; I’d had people ignore me, ask me to stop, casually flirt back – or get right to the point. I hadn’t had someone so openly question my motives. I took a few moments to stop and think; Kate deserved an honest answer, and I needed to be sure I knew what that was, at least as regarded her.

“I guess I’m not totally serious, in that I’m not actually trying to seduce you; but I’m not _not_ serious, in that if you ever actually called me on it, I wouldn’t say no.”

Kate nodded. “That’s about what I thought.” She poured herself some more wine, but made no move to say anything more.

“Why the sudden interest?” I asked. She didn’t answer, at least not straight away.

“The last thing I said to April was, ‘was she even the first?’ She didn’t need to reply, because the answer was written all over her face. She was the first – the only – girl I’ve ever been with, and to have her cheat on me with multiple women in barely half a year… I can’t help but think, is it me? Am I really just that bad in bed?”

“What?” I exclaimed, horrified. “Why would you even think that? Cheaters gonna cheat, Kate, they don’t need a reason.”

“But… how do you know that’s not why?”

“Because I know _you_ ; you’re incredibly selfless, you always pay close attention to the people you’re with, and you enjoy making other people happy. I refuse to believe that you could be anything less than a wonderful lover.”

“You’re very kind,” she said, blushing, but I could tell that she wasn’t convinced.

“This is what you were talking about, isn’t it? The thing you haven’t been able get past.”

“Yes, and I didn’t know whether I should try and do something about it, or hope that the fear would just fade with time, or what, but…”

“You’re someone who likes to face her problems head-on, because that’s what you help the rest of us to do.”

Kate nodded. “So I had a plan. A slightly off the wall plan. A plan that’s making me really, really nervous.” She drained her glass, set it down on the table, and turned to look me in the eye. I realized where the conversation was going about half a second before she asked, “would you be willing to come to bed with me?”

“I…” I’d never really expected anything to come of my flirtations, but now she’d called my bluff, I found that I really did want to follow through, especially when I though about my earlier, off-the-cuff assessment of her… abilities. “I’d love to.” My eyes flicked to her empty glass, and I force myself to ask, “as long as this isn’t just the wine talking.”

“It’s not,” Kate said. “In fact, the wine is because I decided to do this, and I needed a little Dutch courage.”

“Why me, though?”

“You showed an interest, for starters. You’re a good friend, and an attractive woman, but I don’t have any romantic feelings for you – not to mention that your relationship status is already complicated enough. And… I trust you. I trust you to be completely honest with me. I trust you not to develop any inconvenient feelings, and to respect that this will be a one-time only thing.” She stopped for a moment, before adding, with a twinkle in her eye, “and I trust that you’ll be excellent in bed yourself.”

“You haven’t been spared Chloe’s bragging, I see,” I said, using humor to deflect from my sudden nerves and embarrassment.

“No,” Kate said with a laugh, and the tension eased a little. “She’s been more than happy to brag about _both_ her girlfriends.”

“Why _not_ ask Max?” I had to ask.

“Because she’d have turned bright red, mumbled something, and ran away.”

I laughed. “True. So, what exactly are you proposing?”

“I take you up to my room. We make love. You tell me whether or not I have anything to worry about. And after you leave, we never speak of this again.”

“What, no seduction?” I teased.

By way of reply, Kate leaned towards me. She reached up to tenderly cup my cheek, before gently pulling me into a kiss. The way she did it, it was like nothing else in the universe existed to her but me. As someone who’s deliciously self-centered, that was a heady drug. The kiss was pretty amazing, too, and I wasted no time in returning it.

For a few minutes, we made out on the couch, heedless that anyone could have walked in. Then, Kate pulled back, and got up, tugging me after her. I meekly followed as she led me up the staircase, before deciding I wasn’t too keen on that power dynamic, and pinning her to the wall a few yards from her bedroom door. Moments later, we heard the front door slam shut, and soon after that, footsteps coming up the stairs. Smiling, Kate dragged me into her room; I briefly caught a glimpse of Juliet’s wide eyes as she turned the corner, before we closed the door behind us. Either she’d gossip about what she’d seen, or she wouldn’t; right then, I was too far gone to care.

Kate lay on her bed, and pulled me down beside her. We tangled together, and picked up where we’d left off in the lounge. Long, slow kisses, and gentle – if rather chaste – caresses. Eventually, she pulled back. “Much as I would be happy to keep doing this all night, that would rather defeat the point.” She took my hand, and very deliberately placed it on her breast. “This is why you’re here.”

I hesitated for a moment, my fingers involuntarily squeezing, before running my thumb over what was suddenly too many layers of fabric. Then, I flipped Kate onto her back, covering her body with my own. I kissed her fiercely, before moving my lips to her neck as my fingers worked on the buttons of her blouse. She let out soft gasps of encouragement as I kissed and licked each newly exposed patch of skin.

When I reached the waistband of her skirt, and my hand slid around to find the fastening, she lifted her hips of the bed in a clear signal for me to remove it. That done, she sat up and shed her blouse, before reaching back to unhook her bra, and tossing that aside too. I took a moment to drink in the sight, before pushing her back down and kissing a spiral in towards her left nipple. The moan she made when I sucked on it went straight to my core.

It only took another couple of minutes for me to abandon any semblance of a plan to make Kate wait; I trailed my lips down past her navel, and my fingers found the top of her panties. I forced myself to stop, look up, and breathlessly ask, “may I?”

“ _Please!_ ” Kate’s voice was heavy with desire.

I didn’t need to be asked twice.


	3. Beginnings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go, four days rather than four weeks!

###### Kate

There was a tingling sensation in every part of my body, and my arms and legs felt like they were made of wet spaghetti. I’d lost count somewhere around the third or fourth orgasm, so I really couldn’t fault Rachel for the self-satisfied smirk she had on her face as she carefully lowered herself down onto the bed next to me.

“You okay?” she asked, which was probably the stupidest question in the history of everything.

“Yah-huh,” I managed, eloquently. She giggled. “Hey! Hard to talk good when brain dribbling out ears.”

Rachel laughed again, then propped herself up on one elbow, and looked me in the eyes. “I’m glad you had a good time.”

“The best,” I told her, deadly serious.

She couldn’t conceal her surprise. “Really? I mean, I’m flattered, but I was just learning your body. Surely after six months…” She trailed off, perhaps not wanting to be the one who brought up my ex.

“Rachel, I didn’t even know I could have multiple orgasms until tonight. I guess April couldn’t be bothered to find out.” That realization stung a little, but with it came another thought. I’d done a pretty decent job of starting to get over her in the past few weeks, but my body had really missed the sex, and she was the only frame of reference I had. After what had just happened, I knew with absolute certainty that April would no longer be the woman haunting my fantasies as I touched myself. And, yes, if left unchecked, that might become it’s own problem, but at least the night had already given me part of what I needed.

“Earth to Kate,” Rachel said; clearly she’d been talking and I’d just completely spaced out.

“Sorry,” I said, a little embarrassed. Then, squinting up at her, I asked, “how come I’m nothing more than a puddle of post-orgasmic goo on the bed, and you’re still fully dressed?”

“Makes it easier for me to sneak back to my room,” she replied.

“But what if I’m not done with you yet?”

“Kate, you don’t have to…”

“Rachel Dawn Amber, if you think I’m going to let you leave without at least trying to give as good as I got, then you have another thing coming; besides, that was the whole point of this exercise.”

She actually gulped. “Yes, Ma’am.” I pulled her down into a searing kiss, and the lingering taste of myself in her mouth quickly restarted my arousal.

Somehow, I managed to get myself up into a sitting position, and Rachel did the same. Slowly, I began pulling up her vest top, and she raised her arms above her head. It took a little more effort to wrestle the elasticated hidden support over her breasts, but the reward was well worth it – plus it meant one fewer item of clothing to remove. I couldn’t resist planting a long, slow kiss on each nipple – ignoring her muffled protests – before pulling the top the rest of the way off, and tossing it aside.

I pushed Rachel down onto the bed, and when I hooked my fingers into the waistband of her jeans, she eagerly lifted her hips up from the bed. Carefully, I pulled the denim down, bringing her panties with them. Rachel bent her knees back to make it as quick and easy as possible, and when I was done she dropped her legs back down; splayed apart, either side of me. That was when my eyes locked onto the soft, perfectly smooth skin between them, glistening with her obvious desire.

“You have seen a naked woman before, right?” Rachel said after I just knelt there, staring for a few seconds.

“Yeah, but…” I was more than a little distracted.

“She didn’t shave… or wax,” she said with immediate understanding, more a statement than a question.

“No,” I breathed, still unable to look away. “Doesn’t that hurt?”

“It stings like buggery, and the regrowth is hella itchy, but the first time is the worst, and it really amps up the sensation – for me, at least. You should maybe try it sometime; your next girlfriend would probably appreciate it.”

“Hmmm,” was all I could manage, not really able to think about anything other than how much I wanted to run my fingers, my lips, my tongue across her vulva.

“Well, go on then,” Rachel said, with a knowing smile. “It won’t bite.”

* * *

I woke up the next morning with a warm body pressed up against mine. I could hear Rachel’s breathing in my ear, and she had an arm and a leg draped over me. I hadn’t expected that, and it certainly wasn’t part of my plan, but I decided that it was just fine. I shifted a little, trying to relieve some numbness in my arm, and that was enough to wake her up.

“Hey,” she said, her voice a little rough.

“Hey yourself,” I replied. “I wasn’t expecting you to still be here.”

“You’ve talked to Jules and Dana.”

“Yeah.”

Rachel pushed herself into a sitting position. I allowed myself to enjoy the view in the dim light filtering through the drapes.

“This is different, for a couple reasons. Firstly, with both of them, it’s just sex, two women getting some physical release. Last night was more than that. I don’t mean romantically, I mean that it wasn’t just about the sex, it was about helping you work through something. I didn’t want to sneak off in the night, and just hope that you were okay in the morning.”

“Thanks, I appreciate that. And I’m feeling pretty awesome this morning. In case you didn’t realize, last night was, by far, the best sex I’ve ever had.”

It was hard to tell in the darkness, but I’m pretty sure that Rachel blushed.

“Well… thanks.”

“And the second reason?”

“If this was going to be a one-time thing, then I wanted to make the most of it. That is still what you want, right?”

“Yes,” I said, with more certainty than I felt. “I mean, I’d be lying if I said that last night didn’t give me second thoughts, but I don’t think I could keep my feelings so neatly compartmentalized if we did this again, and you’re not free for something more; at least, not the kind of more that I’d be comfortable with.”

“And I respect that,” Rachel said, “but I’d like to point out one thing: our ‘one night’ isn’t over until I walk out your door.”

I was rather pleased with myself that I picked up her meaning at once.

“It’s early, and I’ve only got one paper to write this weekend. I could stay in bed a while longer.”

* * *

We were rudely roused from post-coital dozing by a loud, blaring siren coming from Rachel’s phone. She jerked upright, and let out an impressive stream of profanity.

“I completely forgot that I have a photoshoot today. I need to be out the door, like, _now_ ; can I borrow your shower?”

“Of course,” I said, as she hurried into my tiny en-suite. In next to no time she was back out, and I admit that I watched as she finished toweling off, then started to pull on the previous night’s clothes.

“Well, I still smell of sex, but at least it’s not quite so obvious now. Good thing I don’t need to worry about doing my own hair, clothes or make-up…” Despite her obvious state of near-panic, Rachel took the time to come over and kiss me; properly. “Last night was amazing. _You’re_ amazing. Someday soon you’re going to make a lucky girl incredibly happy.”

She gave me another brief kiss, and flew out the door before I had the chance to formulate a response.

I lay back, both to finish waking up, and to contemplate the previous night. It had gone better than I’d possibly hoped; instead of worrying that I was bad in bed, I was instead convinced that my ex was – and suddenly eager for more myself. For a brief moment, I toyed with the idea of pursuing Rachel, but I knew her too well to seriously consider it. As much as I liked her as a friend, she wasn’t someone I could trust my heart with. Besides, she’d confessed to me that she was terrified if she had a secondary relationship that actually got serious, then Chloe would simply choose Max, and that would be that. Rachel would never take such a risk.

That line of thought did get me up – there was someone I needed to talk to. I took a long shower, pulled on a fresh set of pajamas and a robe, then headed downstairs. I found Victoria, Taylor, Brooke, and Dana picking over the remains of breakfast in the dining room; they told me that they’d seen Rachel practically sprinting out of the house, but no sign of anyone else. I snagged the one unopened box of pastries, brewed a pot of coffee, then headed over to the ‘East Wing.’ There was no response when I knocked on the door, so I let myself into the trio’s living room and set my tray down on the table. A few moments later, Max poked her head out from Chloe’s bedroom.

“Oh, hey Kate, good morning.” She spots my peace offering. “Not that I’m complaining, but what’s this in aid of?”

“I… uh… need to talk to Chloe. Well, both of you, I guess.”

“Do I smell coffee?” a muffled voice came from behind Max, and in no time at all, Chloe pushed past her ,wearing nothing but a loosely tied robe that wasn’t doing a very good job of keeping her decent. I’d gotten used to that, so I was able to pour the three mugs of coffee without getting flustered. Meanwhile, Chloe practically inhaled one of the pastries. “Thanks, Kate, you’re a life-saver. After last night, I seriously needed to get my energy levels back up.”

“Tell me about it,” I muttered as I took a pastry of my own, then sat down to eat it at a more leisurely pace.

“Tell you about what?” asked Max, having taking the time to put on her own pajamas.

“Um…” I took the plunge. “I slept with Rachel last night.”

They both stared at me for long moments, slack-jawed. Eventually, Chloe said, “you go, Kate!” and held up her hand. It took me a moment to realize why, before I bemusedly high-fived her.

Max took a different tack. “Are you okay? She didn’t… pressure you or anything?”

“No, it was my idea.”

“But… this doesn’t seem like you, Kate.”

I sighed. “What happened with April really did a number on my self-confidence. I really needed someone to reassure me that my… performance wasn’t the reason she cheated on me.”

“And you picked Rachel?”

“Well, I didn’t think that you’d be willing to take the job.” Max turned bright red, and Chloe cackled gleefully. “Seriously, though, I trust her – and I knew that there was no danger of either of us getting too attached. It was just a one-time thing.”

“Wait…” Chloe said with a smirk, “you’re telling me that you had Rachel in your bed all night, and you only did it once?”

“No…” Chloe began to laugh. “Shut up.” She laughed harder.

Max, meanwhile, was frowning. She went back into Chloe’s room, and returned carrying her phone. “Okay, she did send us a message this morning: ‘I need to tell you guys something tonight. Don’t let me forget.’”

“Sorry, that’s kinda my fault,” I told her. “I didn’t really give her a chance to let you two know last night, and she had to leave in a hurry this morning.”

“Right, she’s got that modeling job. Okay, it’s fine, as long as she’s not trying to hide anything from us.”

“So, we’re okay?” I asked, mostly directed at Chloe.

“We’re awesome,” she reassures me. “It would never have been fair to ask Rachel to stay monogamous when I have Max as well.”

“I manage,” Max muttered, _sotto voce_. Chloe ignored her.

“She’s actually been pretty restrained, compared to what I though she might be like. I’m just glad she was able to help you. She did help, right?”

“Oh, yeah,” I said, perhaps a little more enthusiastically than I intended. “I now know that April sucked in bed – and not in the good way.”

“So, are you ready to put that whole thing behind you? Find yourself someone new?” Max asked.

“Soon, I think. Certainly by the time next term starts.”

“You don’t have to wait ’til then,” Chloe pointed out, “you could always date a local rather than a student.”

“Maybe,” I conceded, then, seeing the gleam in her eye, I added, “but please hold off on any matchmaking plans you might have for a few more weeks.”

“Fine. I can wait. A little while.”

* * *

It was another month before I Iet Chloe talk me into going on a few blind dates. The first couple were by no means disasters; they were nice enough women, but we simply didn’t click. I’m hoping that the third time will be a charm, and if not, I think I’ll just ask Chloe to knock it off. I can start looking for someone once school starts up again – or not; I’m in no rush, no matter what my body thinks.

Anyway, tonight I’m arriving at a Moroccan place in town to meet someone Chloe said was ‘a friend of a friend, but I’m told she’s very nice.’ I tell the maître d’ that I’m here to meet Cedella, and he directs me to a small table in the corner, where a woman sits with her back to me.

“Hi, sorry I’m running a little behind,” I say, “I’m Kate.”

She turns to meet me, and I recognize her at once. That wasn’t a night I’m likely to forget.

“Cedella. We… weren’t exactly introduced last time we met.”

“Not so much,” I say, standing there awkward and uncertain.

“Look, given how we met, if you want to bail on me, I absolutely understand.”

Realizing how rude I’m being, I smile and sit down opposite her.

“No, of course not. I certainly don’t blame _you_ for what happened with April.”

“I know you said that at the time, but thanks all the same. So… do you want to get drunk, and bitch about our ex?”

I shake my head. “I’d rather not think about her at all. I was hoping to have a date with a beautiful, intelligent, interesting woman this evening.”

“Well, if such a lady shows up, I’ll be sure to send her your way,” Cedella says with a laugh.

“I think I may already be sitting with one,” I say.

She ducks her head slightly. “Are you always this smooth?”

“Actually, no. I’m usually nervous around new people…”

“Perhaps it’s because you’ve already seen me naked?” she suggests, grinning.

I blush. “Um… maybe?” And I’m charmed, nonetheless.

“You know, I think I might be sat with one of those beautiful, intelligent, interesting women, too.”

I blush; then to cover it, I blurt out, “who’s also hungry; I missed lunch today.”

“Well, then we should order. Have you been here before?”

“No, this is all new to me,” I say, gesturing at the menu.

“In that case, allow me to point out some of my favorite dishes.” She shuffles her chair around the table, and my skin tingles where her arm brushes against mine.

Oh, yes, this evening is full of possibilities.


End file.
